In a significant move, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal order a probe against 49 alleged unauthorised construction of studios at Madh-Marve, Erangal and Bhati gaon in Malad. These locations are famous for shooting films etc., due to beaches and picturesque settings.
For this, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Harshad Kale has been appointed as an enquiry officer. He has been directed to probe the role of BMC officials and the actions to be taken by the civic body.
According to an official statement released by the BMC, they had received complaints regarding illegal studios in NDZ (No Development Zone) and CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) in Madh, Marve, Erangal, Bhati, and Malad. These studios came up during 2021 and 2022 in the NDZ, CRZ areas.
It is pertinent to note that recently, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya alleged a “INR 1,000 crore studio scam”.
The probe order further stated that many such studios were built on thousands of square meters without proper permissions and through fraudulent documents/ forged permission with the help of officials of the BMC and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). For those unversed, the MCZMA falls under the state’s Department of Environment, which was headed by Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray between 2021 and July 2022.
The enquiry officer has been asked to probe the role of the assistant municipal commissioner, ‘P North’ ward, and other officers, along with the number of permissions given and the number of studios functioning in these areas.
Chahal also asked to probe if BMC officers in connivance with studio owners misused such temporary permissions, besides ordering to check if the studios have legal permissions and if they are located in CRZ and NDZ areas.
Kale has been directed to submit the report in four weeks and give recommendations to prevent such wrongdoings in future.
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